The Summit County Rescue Group gratefully acknowledges the
significant field support provided by the Wilderness Paramedic
program of the Summit County Ambulance Service. This program
is unique in the country and delivers Advanced Life Support care
free of charge in a backcountry setting. All Wilderness
Paramedics have significant field rescue expertise and provide
invaluable medical skill and patient care that would otherwise be
unavailable. These paramedics deliver critical care and
professional support for those in need in the backcountry.

It was nearly midnight on September 12 when SCRG was called to
assist during the serious flooding in the Boulder area in
September. Several of our members are also trained as members
of Summit County's Swift Water Rescue Team (SWRT) and they were
especially critical because of the serious nature of the flooding
and the prospect for more rains in the coming days.

The team consisted of Colin Dinsmore, Preston Burns, Mike
Miller, Devon Haire, and John Reller of SCRG and SWRT, Sgt. Cale
Osborn and Zak Slutzky of the Summit County Sheriff's Office and
SWRT, and Cris Bezinque and Drew Fantana of Dive Rescue.

The team was on scene in Boulder by early morning and
immediately noticed the significant damage to the surrounding
area. There were downed power lines, gas lines blown, and
utility companies unsure at that point whether their lines were
active or not. The damaged roads still had not been
completely cleared by civil engineers, and there were frequent wash
outs.

The team was directed to Lefthand Creek where there was major
damage. Because of the destroyed infrastructure, the team had
to hike a few miles up the canyon, wearing full dry suits and
hauling swift water, rigging, medical and personal gear. As a
Blackhawk helicopter assessed the situation overhead, the team had
to access their objective by scrambling over road wash outs,
skirting major cliff erosions created by the flooding, and slogging
through large areas of debris and mud that had washed over the road
all the way to the river.

The river had completely surrounded the homes that were the
team's objective, and the team's unfamiliarity with the waterway
meant they found it difficult to differentiate the actual river
channel. Preston Burns commented, "The water flow of the
creek at this point in the operation was absolutely terrifying and
like nothing I have ever seen in an urban environment." The
team heard boulders the size of cars tumbling down the creek, and
their impact could be felt when the boulders collided.

With one member anchored to a large tree and acting as the belay
while another member was at the river's edge, they found themselves
in very close proximity to a fully severed natural gas line.
This went on for the entire first day of operations. As the
evacuations continued, the team would find more people in need of
help, in addition to their pets.

The Swift Water Rescue Team was in the Boulder area through the
14th, and assisted in the rescue of numerous people and
their pets in what were arduous conditions. The extreme
nature of the flooding put understandable stress on the residents,
and the team found itself in at least one situation where
communication was challenging and the resident not wanting to
leave. But some patience and creativity and the situation was
resolved satisfactorily.

In addition to the swift water operations, 13 SCRG team members
volunteered to support Rocky Mountain Rescue (Boulder) in their
on-going SAR operations. Unfortunately, weather prohibited
fielding most SAR teams during the periods we were available.
However, members were able to witness the large scale effort with
numerous helicopter operations, and to interact and reinforce our
relationship with several other teams from throughout the
state. Members who went to Boulder were Andy Demaline, Ben
Butler, Glen Kraatz, Mitch Painovich, Ryan Lewthwaite, Scott Young,
Shawn Davis, Tim Davidson, Cindy Ebbert, Dave Wandel, Martin Allen,
Matt Parker, and Charles Pitman.

We passed! SCRG passed its recertification for the
Mountain Rescue Association (MRA). This recert is done every five
years and consists of snow (avalanche), high angle (cliff face),
scree evac, uphaul, and search scenarios. The team under test is
evaluated by other MRA certified teams from within the Rocky
Mountain region. The two day intensive event was conducted this
past Saturday and Sunday. MRA is the 'gold standard' for
certification of search and rescue teams in the country and the
certification is not something every team in the U.S. chooses to
undertake. In fact, only 63 teams in the U.S. have chosen to become
fully accredited by the MRA.

UPDATE: The avalanche seminar has been cancelled due to lack of
snow. Unfortunately, SCRG teachers and members were unable to
find locations with enough snow to due a proper training. At
this time, SCRG is still deciding whether to reschedule or
completely cancel the seminar. More information will be
posted here when it is known.

Original Post:

SCRG is pleased to announce the 37th Annual Avalance Rescue
Seminar, aimed specifically at search and rescue team members.

A two day Avalanche Rescue Seminar designed
specifically for members of Search and Rescue

groups will be held on December 8th and 9th, 2012.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center,

Colorado Search and Rescue Board and the Summit
County Rescue Group sponsor this seminar.

A two day Avalanche Rescue Seminar designed specifically for
members of Search and Rescue groups will be held on December
8th and 9th, 2012 sponsored by the Colorado Avalanche Information
Center, Colorado Search and Rescue Board and the Summit County
Rescue Group.